Polar bears

climate changes impacts in the
arctic, including

Sub Idea 1

The harsh conditions of the high altitudes, force polar bears to adapt to the their environment. Many of the adaptations seen in polar bears help to regulate body
temperature, make hunting easier, and increase the efficiency of movement both in and out of the water. The polar bear's thick curved claws are important during
times of feeding. They are frequently used to tear away the flesh of preyed upon organisms and to navigate through the carcasses of dead animals. The polar bear's
distinct swimming abilities probably source from their joined toes (webbed feet). Their toes are joined by swimming membranes which allow for greater success in the
water (Macdonald, 500). Another important characteristic of the polar bear is its water repellant fur coat (Kurt, 500). This feature allows for more efficient and less
exhausting swimming. Although a seal can easily out swim a polar bear, seals are easily tricked by polar bears because their depth perception is rather poor. For
example, Adrian Forsyth a researcher from Mammals of North America explains, "One polar bear was seen pretending to be an ice chuck while he stalked an adult
ringed seal in open water. First observed about 230 feet from a seal resting on ice, the bear began swimming strongly toward it. Whenever the seal went underwater,
the bear immediately stopped swimming and floated motionless; when the seal surfaced, the bear resumed its swim, gradually closing the distance between them.
Finally, the seal surfaced right beside the bear, apparently mistaking it for floating ice. The bear killed it with a sudden lunge and a single bite."

The polar bear is one of the few all white animals our world has. The harsh conditions of high altitude force polar bears to adapt to their environment. Many of the adaptations include being able to
adapt to the weather ,make hunting easier and increase the efficiency of movement in and out of the water. The polar bear's thick curved claws are important during times of feeding. They are
frequently used to tear away the flesh of preyed upon organisms and to navigate through the carcasses of dead animals. The polar bear's distinct swimming abilities probably source from their
joined toes (webbed feet). Another important characteristic of the polar bear is its water repellant fur coat. This feature allows for more efficient and less exhausting swimming. Although a seal can
easily out swim a polar bear, seals are easily tricked by polar bears because their depth perception is rather poor. For example, Adrian Forsyth a researcher from Mammals of North America
explains, "One polar bear was seen pretending to be an ice chuck while he stalked an adult ringed seal in open water. First observed about 230 feet from a seal resting on ice, the bear began
swimming strongly toward it. Whenever the seal went underwater, the bear immediately stopped swimming and floated motionless; when the seal surfaced, the bear resumed its swim, gradually
closing the distance between them. Finally, the seal surfaced right beside the bear, apparently mistaking it for floating ice. The bear killed it with a sudden lunge and a single bite." Only polar
bears lips,feet and nose pad are black though under its fur its skin is also black.The polar bears thick white coat ,which helps it blend in with its icy environment, is thick and covers a thick fat
layer. These two adaptations enable polar bears to survive harsh Arctic winters that average -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Partially webbed feet assist in swimming, which polar bears can do for long
distances. Like other bears, the polar bear relies on a keen sense of smell to sniff out prey. Its large body size helps it conserve heat, while its long neck helps it view its open habitat, both while
on land and while swimming. Polar bears put their sharp claws to good use when grabbing prey and loping across the slippery ice.

Polar bears are a very distinguishable bear and very easy to notice among other bears. POl Polar
bears are all white, very smart and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds! that is close to 800 kilograms!
Male polar bears can measure up to 10 feet long! Polar bears fur are all white except for some
creamy yellow fur and sometimes light brown in the summer. Male polar bears are twice the size of
female polar bears! polar bears are very cuddly and can act almost like humans at times. they can
dance and even do gymnastics!

Male polar bears can weigh up to
2,000 pounds that is close to 800
kilograms. Male polar bears can
measure to nearly 10 feet long, or
three meters. Male polar bears are
about twice the size of female polar
bears.

The polar bear or the sea/ice bear are the
world's largest land predators. They can be
found in the Artic, the U.S. (Alaska), Canada,
Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway.
Each of these countries either banned hunting
or established rules for how many polar bears
could be hunted within its own boundaries.
These rules help keep polar bear populations
stable. Today, 25,000 to 40,000 polar bears
roam the Arctic.

action

Goals

Goal 1

Goal 2

Rules

Capture Ideas

Prioritize Ideas

Define Action Points

food chain

Problem 1

Problem 2

habibat

The polar bear habitat encompass the entire circumpolar Arctic region. Polar bears have
adapted to be able to live in the water and on land. Unlike other bear species, the polar bear
are excellent swimmers, and have been spotted more than 100 miles away from land or ice.
The polar bear habitat is that of the entire Arctic region. They can be found the cold and at
times unforgiving land. Polar bears can be found swimming in the frigid oceans waters, or adrift
on ice.

The polar bear habitat is everywhere in the vast artic region. They can be found in the frigid ocean waters or adrift on ice. The
polar bears main habitat is on offshore pack ice, and along costs and island of the Arctic region. Over 40 per cent of all polar
bears living today live in Northern Canada, on pack ice and along the shores of the many island there. Polar bears prefer the ice
packs to other parts of their habitat because it allows them to remain in close contact with their main food source. Seals. Polar
bears will remain in this ice pack habitat all year. They prefer the sea ice over all other places. When summer comes, and the
polar regions warm up, the polar bears will travel many miles to remain on the ice, near their food source, seals. Any polar
bears that do not stay on the ice when the ice begins to retreat will have to remain on the land, until the ice forms again in the
fall.
For the polar bears that's habitat happens to be in the southern most part of the polar
region, in Manitoba, Canada on the Hudson Bay, find it difficult to follow the retreating ice
and are forced to remain on the land. These polar bears live off fat deposits that they have
gained from eating well in the winter. As with the polar bears in the northern region, when
the ice pack forms again in the fall, the polar bears return to the frozen sea, to the ice
packs.

threats

In a recent study done, that was released on July 6, 2009, states
that not only is global warming threading the existence of polar
bears, but also harmful chemicals that man is releasing into the
environment.
Mercury has been found in polar bear bodies. Mercury is ingested by the polar
bear through other animals. It can simply start our as a small fish, then as it goes
through the food chain, it becomes more and more concentrated. By the time the
polar bear eats the seal, the mercury levels could have a lethal effect on the polar
bear.

Polar bears have three main threats to them.
Hunting, environmental threats and global
warming.

Polar bears have been hunted for thousands of years. Evidence of polar bear hunting have been
found in 2,500 to 3,000 year old ruins. Arctic people have hunted polar bears for
food,clothing,bedding and religious purposes. people hunt polar bears for their hides and kills
have increased substantially when people started hunting polar bears with snowmobiles, boats
and airplanes. For the latest decades,hunting has been the greatest cause of polar bear
mortality.

1.
Hunting.
•
Polar bears have been hunted
for thousands of years.
°
Evidence of human polar bear hunts have been found in
2,500 to 3,000 year-old ruins. Arctic peoples have
traditionally hunted polar bears for food, clothing, bedding,
and religious purposes.
° Commercial hunting of polar bears for hides
began as early as the 1500s and flourished by
the 1700s.
° Kills increased substantially in the 1950s and 1960s when hunters began
using snowmobiles, boats, and airplanes to hunt polar bears. Public
concern about these hunting methods led to an international agreement in
1973 banning the use of aircraft or large motorized boats for polar bear
hunts.
•
For the last several decades, hunting has been
the greatest known cause of polar bear
mortality.
°
Today, polar bears are hunted by native arctic populations
primarily for food, clothing, handicrafts, and sale of skins.
Polar bears are also killed in defense of people or
property.
° Hunting is government-regulated in Canada,
Greenland, and the United States. Hunting is
currently banned in Norway and parts of Russia.
2.
Environmental threats.
• Climate change impacts in the Arctic, including increasing
temperatures, shifts in the distribution of multi-year ice, and
changes in precipitation patterns, threaten polar bear populations
in a number of ways.
°
Increasing temperatures are associated with a
decrease in sea ice (both the amount and length
of time sea ice forms).
° Since polar bears use sea ice as a platform to prey mainly on
ringed and bearded seals, changes in sea ice can lead to less
access to prey and an increase in malnourished or starving
bears.
° Because of their strong association with the ice, ringed
seal populations may also plummet due to loss of sea ice
and result in even further reduction in polar bear food
supplies.
° In addition, with less sea ice, female polar
bears may have a more difficult time reaching
traditional denning areas.
•
Oil spills from drilling platforms or
tankers potentially threaten polar
bears.
°
A polar bear's fur loses its
insulating properties when covered
with oil.
° Oil spills could diminish or
contaminate polar bear food
sources.
° Scientists are trying to determine whether noise from
industrial subsistence or recreational activities could
disturb polar bears and deter them from important
habitats.
•
The presence of toxic chemicals in polar bears
may have long-term effects on their health and
longevity.
°
Toxic chemicals from worldwide industrial
activities are carried to the Arctic by air
currents, rivers, and oceans.
° Arctic animals in higher food chain levels concentrate greater
amounts of toxic chemicals in their tissues than those below
them. Because polar bears are top predators in the arctic, they
are exposed to especially high levels of toxic chemicals.
° Human-made toxic chemicals such as heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and organochlorines are present in the Arctic. Arctic seals
have particularly high levels of organochlorines concentrated in their blubber. Since polar bears
mainly feed on seals, organochlorines become even more concentrated in the fat layer of polar
bears. This potentially leads to a higher than normal mortality rate of polar bear cubs who acquire
these toxins from their mother's milk.
° Scientists continue to monitor the levels of toxic
chemicals in polar bears to determine their long-term
effects.
• Radionuclides, from nuclear waste dumping in
the Russian Arctic, may have detrimental effects
on polar bears, and the arctic ecosystem as a
whole.

climate change impacts in the arctic , including increasing temperatures, threaten polar bears in a
number of ways. Since polar bears use sea ice as platform to prey mainly on ringed seals and
bearded seals, changes in sea ice can lead to less access to prey and an increase in starving
polar bears. Ringed seals are also dying and polar bears are losing their main prey. In addition,
because of less sea ice, female polar bears are finding it harder to travel to denning ereas. Oil
spills are matting polar bears fur and threatening polar bears.

Polar bears live in a very specific habitat. They need the cold, snow and ice of the
polar regions. That is why they are called "polar bears" and not "summer bears."
Polar bears have very few natural threats in the polar region. Polar bears are on
the top of the food chain and there are no other animals in the north that will
threaten the polar bears. So why are the polar bears now on the threatened
species list?
Polar bears are not threatened because of other animals or because they are
being hunted too much. Polar bears are threatened as a direct effect on how we
as humans treat the earth and the environment. People have begun to take the
earth for granted. They have treated it as thought it is indestructible. When if
fact, the earth is destructible, and we are destroying it.
Polar bears live in the arctic, and like many other places on earth, the arctic region has had
scientists who are learning about what is happening to that specific region of the earth. The
scientists have been doing deep core tests. This is where they drill a hole down into the ice and
pull out a core of ice. In this core of ice the scientists can get very specific information about
the weather, the atmosphere, and the temperature for a specific time period. These core tests
can determine facts from 420,000 years.
The core tests have revealed facts about the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
It means that some of the carbon dioxide that used to leave the earth's
atmosphere is now remaining inside the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide that is
remaining on earth, also known as greenhouse gases, is raising the earth's
temperature, causing the "Greenhouse Effect."
Now you may wonder what all of this has to do with the polar bears. The polar
bears live in a very sensitive environment. The arctic region. The arctic region is
made of snow and ice. Snow and ice is what the polar bears depend on for their
survival. The "Greenhouse Effect" warms the earth, and therefore, melts the
precious snow and ice that the polar bears need for survival.
So it is easy to deduce from this, that we, humans, are the
cause of the polar bears being threatened. We are slowly killing
the planet and most of us are oblivious to it. Global warming
can be slowed down, the polar bears do have a chance.

Polar bears live in a very specific habitat. They need the cold, snow and ice of the
polar regions. That is why they are called "polar bears" and not "summer bears."
Polar bears have very few natural threats in the polar region. Polar bears are on
the top of the food chain and there are no other animals in the north that will
threaten the polar bears. So why are the polar bears now on the threatened
species list?
Polar bears are not threatened because of other animals or because they are
being hunted too much. Polar bears are threatened as a direct effect on how we
as humans treat the earth and the environment. People have begun to take the
earth for granted. They have treated it as thought it is indestructible. When if
fact, the earth is destructible, and we are destroying it.
Polar bears live in the arctic, and like many other places on earth, the arctic region has had
scientists who are learning about what is happening to that specific region of the earth. The
scientists have been doing deep core tests. This is where they drill a hole down into the ice and
pull out a core of ice. In this core of ice the scientists can get very specific information about
the weather, the atmosphere, and the temperature for a specific time period. These core tests
can determine facts from 420,000 years.
The core tests have revealed facts about the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
It means that some of the carbon dioxide that used to leave the earth's
atmosphere is now remaining inside the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide that is
remaining on earth, also known as greenhouse gases, is raising the earth's
temperature, causing the "Greenhouse Effect."
Now you may wonder what all of this has to do with the polar bears. The polar
bears live in a very sensitive environment. The arctic region. The arctic region is
made of snow and ice. Snow and ice is what the polar bears depend on for their
survival. The "Greenhouse Effect" warms the earth, and therefore, melts the
precious snow and ice that the polar bears need for survival.
So it is easy to deduce from this, that we, humans, are the
cause of the polar bears being threatened. We are slowly killing
the planet and most of us are oblivious to it. Global warming
can be slowed down, the polar bears do have a chance., Thirdly, and the most common,is the green house effect, also
known as global warming. The green house effect is when the
carbon dioxide used to leave the earth,now it stays and is
melting the ice.

description

Polar bears are a very distinguishable bear.
They are very easy to differentiate from other
bear species. When you think of a polar bear,
you probably think of an all white bear. Well
you are correct. Polar bears typically have
what we call white fur, however, polar bear fur
can range from white to creamy yellow, even
to light brown in the summer.
http://endangeredpolarbear.com/description_of_polar_bear.htm

polar bears are very cuddly and can act
almost like humans at times. they can dance
and even do gymnastics!

adaptations

The polar bear is one of the world's few all-white animals. Only its eyes, nose pad, and lips are black; although
beneath its white fur, its skin is also black. The bear's white coat, which helps it blend with its icy environs, is
thick, and covers a thick fat layer. These two adaptations enable polar bears to survive harsh Arctic winters that
average -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Partially webbed feet assist in swimming, which polar bears can do for long
distances. Like other bears, the polar bear relies on a keen sense of smell to sniff out prey. Its large body size
helps it conserve heat, while its long neck helps it view its open habitat, both while on land and while swimming.
Polar bears put their sharp claws to good use when grabbing prey and loping across the slippery ice.